Re: weigh stations

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

Thanks for the support. Yes, part of the problem is that I am so big.  My truck
LOOKS like a semi. Whether I am commercial or not by trade has never been the
issue.  I am mandated by law to have name, DOT# and IFTA sticker.  But this does
NOT mean I am commercial in itself.  Part of the problem is that there are not
enough of us out there and the weigh station people, DOT and highway patrol do
not know how to look at us.  A friend of mine has a box truck..International
truck with 16 foot box...with living quarters built right in. He LEGALLY has RV
tags and he gets hassled for how he LOOKS.

The laws are confusing at best or both sides.  I never get the same answer twice.
AND, there seem to be no answers to many of my questions. For instance: I have
farm plates on my truck, they are supposedly good for 150 miles from home. I
cannot find anywhere  1.) is it illegal to drive outside this range?  2.) if not,
what is the truck considered out of this range?  3.) Farms are commercial, so
what's the difference? 4.) If an RV can tow a horse trailer or cargo trailer and
not have to go through weight stations, why is it different the other way around
with a truck (farm or otherwise) pulling a horse trailer (or any trailer) with RV
type plates?

Some people are getting around much of this by putting RV-LQ type amenities on
the back of their truck (lounge bodies I think they are called).  I am told the
DOT is now looking into making changes to exclude these from RV status.

Perhaps we, as horsemen, should lobby for ourselves the way the RV industry has.
When a 70 year old man can drive a huge RV which you know must weigh over 26,000
lbs, towing a car behind does not have to go through weight stations or conform
to FMCSR's, somebody certainly has lobbied to exempt them.  The FMCSR's purpose
is to maintain safety on our highways by compliance with all kinds of safety
regulations.  AND, weigh stations are there not just to weigh you, they are there
to make sure you comply.

I have been told and have come to believe that there is no way a big rig can
legally go from one coast to the other, the regulations vary so much.  Being a
woman helps.  I just learn to keep my mouth shut and play "dumb".

By the way, thanks for the warning about EIA....

Teddy


Joane Pappas White wrote:

> I cannot imagine a more important topic that knowing the risk of getting a
> ticket going to a ride because we "ran the port".  Even as a lawyer, I find
> the regulations very confusing and appreciate the imput from those of you
> who are crossing state lines more than I.  Teddy--are you being treated as
> commercial because you have the logos on your rig and are usually
> transporting goods for sale that are now agricultural? Could it also be the
> size of your rig and the diesel pulling it.  It really is a large outfit by
> most of our standards.
>
> Utah and Idaho have been pretty easy on us locals but Colorado is real
> serious. I've been there three times in 4 months and they have checked
> everything very closely. They require Coggins and Health Certs on all horses
> and proper licensing on the trailer.  Have not been asked for a log book yet.
>
> The wild horse herds on the indian reservation in north eastern Utah are
> experiencing a major epidemic of EIA (Swamp Fever) and I suspect that all
> the surrounding states will be watching all horses very carefully.  I don't
> recommend running our ports--it can get very expensive to end up impounded
> in the desert country of the west--particularly on a weekend.  The closest
> court is usually a Justice of the Peace (non lawtrained) and can be 75+
> miles out of your way.
>
> Joane and the Herd
> Utah